


Charlie's Girlfriend

by Loveatfirstbook



Category: Nothing Much to Do
Genre: Birds, Driving in the rain, F/M, Fluff, Lovely Little Ficlets challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-04 21:59:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3092192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loveatfirstbook/pseuds/Loveatfirstbook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben and Bea have a class run late and are left to drive to their Friday night movie in the pouring rain. </p>
<p>Day 2 of the Lovely Little Ficlets Challenge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Charlie's Girlfriend

We ran flat out through the pouring rain towards the tree where I’d left my car that morning. Technically students weren’t allowed to park on school property but right then I was thanking my lucky stars I’d been late enough to risk it and the teacher had run overtime in Physics so I wasn’t caught. I’d never thought I’d actually appreciate something about Physics. Glancing at the girl slamming the passenger door next to me with a smile on her face, I knew that I wasn’t alone in that thought. 

“You have no idea how glad I am that I don’t have to climb that hill. And we got to do an awesome prac in Physics,” Beatrice said, breathing heavily as she tried to wring the water from her hair. Her face then morphed into a more mischievous grin as she looked at where I was sitting. “On second thoughts, I think I’ll drive.”

“Oh ha ha,” I sarcastically replied. Since Bea and I got together, our banter has been more playful but sometimes we still have a go at the other person. “Charlie isn’t such a bad driver. The birds in his vicinity are just cursed.”

“Charlie may be the self-proclaimed best driver in Messina High School – which is a very disputable title, by the way – but his girlfriend Veronica, who is the better driver, thinks it would be safer for the local wildlife if she drove instead.”

“Veronica, really?” I asked, perplexed. “And since when are you the better driver?”

“It’s my middle name,” she replied curtly. “Now shut up and swap seats with me. It’s pouring out there and we have ten minutes to get to the cinema or we’ll miss the only Friday night showing of the movie.”

After seeing that I wouldn’t have a choice about this no matter how much I argued, we went through the uncomfortable process of swapping seats over the gearbox. When we are buckled up once more, she turned the ignition on and the car burst to life.

A comfortable silence enveloped us as Bea spun us to face the notorious Messina High hill. I knew that talking wouldn’t help her concentration as I could barely see two metres in front of us. 

And then it happened. Bea was only driving up the hill at 10 km/h so the bird tumbling onto the bonnet almost appeared to be in slow motion. 

“Oh God,” she exclaimed, bringing us to a grinding halt. “I think I killed it.”

I stared at the feathered creature and one of the wings unfurled and it tried to stand. “Not this time, love.”

We waited a few minutes on the deserted road for it to fly off but we only saw it limping around the bonnet with the wing dragging around behind it. Handing me the old t-shirt I kept under the seat, Bea sighed, “Go and grab it. I’ll drive us to Pedro’s.”

Turns out, the rain had become as hard as bullets as it shot down on me and the bird from the sky. It huddled against my chest as I scrambled to close the door as quickly as possible. It chirped at us in a tone implying it was in pain. 

An hour later, the bird had been checked out by Ann, who had been the local vet for as long as any of us could remember, and deemed to be capable of making a full recovery. She promised to take it to the wildlife centre as soon as possible.

That left Bea and I once more in the car with the rain continuing outside. While the Donaldsons had offered to let us stay the night, we agreed that we’d rather go home and I’d stay over at Bea’s place if we were stuck. It wasn’t as harsh out there anymore so it was unlikely that would happen anyway.

“Not one word, Ben,” she growled.

My eyebrows rose. “Fair Beatrice, what are you talking about? What am I not to say anything about?”

Her left hand briefly poked me before returning to the gearstick. Bea’s eyes narrowed on the road. “Not one word about my driving.”

“I promise I won’t say a single word about your driving,” I said solemnly. Then my face split into a grin. “But did you hear about Veronica? She’s hit her first bird when she drove around with Charlie this afternoon. And she had been telling him earlier that she was a better driver because she hadn’t hit any birds.”

She tried to give me a shove but failed. “I did not say that!”

“I’ll think you’ll find you did, Bea. And now you’re the same as me,” I replied.

She stopped outside her cousin’s house, parking in the driveway behind Leo’s car. “Is there anything positive to being like you? If all I get is to chauffeur birds to the vet, I’m not sure I’m interested."

I pretended to ponder it for a moment. “I think it’s worth your while. You have a car that’s in working order. This,” I gestured to my body, “spectacular physique. To be friends with some of the best people I’ve ever met."

Bea’s hand reached for the door. “Is that all? Nothing else?” she teased.

My lips curled into a smile as I pulled her closer to me. “Being myself was how I met my perfect match.” 

“That’s a deal I might be interested in but I think I’ve already found mine,” Beatrice whispered, leaning closer before I met her lips halfway.

**Author's Note:**

> Day 2 is done! Hurray! Hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> I don't know what Bea's middle name is but I thought that Veronica would suit her.
> 
> And I'm not posting these as separate works because I don't completely understand how the site works. Nope. Not one bit.
> 
> Have a great day!


End file.
